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% The Glass factory. %
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,,,,,,,,,: Several Centuries After It Had Last :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:» Belonged To Us, We Went On An Outing To »:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»/ The Glass Factory That Bore Our Family /»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,:»/% Name. It Had Changed Owners Many Times %/»:,,,,,,
,,,,,:»/%% Since Our Ancestors Death, And Then %%/»:,,,,,
,,,,:»/%%& Stood Abandoned For A Long While. &%%/»:,,,,
,,,:»/%%&@ Finally, The Natural End Station For @&%%/»:,,,
,,:»/%%&@# The Buildings That Survive: A Museum, #@&%%/»:,,
,:»/%%&@## And A Gift Shop. ##@&%%/»:,
,,:»/%%&@# #@&%%/»:,,
,,,:»/%%&@ There'S A Long Time Since My Family @&%%/»:,,,
,,,,:»/%%& Made Anything. By Many, We Would Be &%%/»:,,,,
,,,,,:»/%% Considered Poor. %%/»:,,,,,
,,,,,,:»/% %/»:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»/ There Are Two Main Factory Buildings, /»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:» Domed Things Of Several Floors, Made In »:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: Yellow Brick. Large But Narrow Windows, :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Reminescent Of Some Cathedral. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Custom-Made Glass, Of Course, Large And ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, LeadEd, And Ashen. A Bit Too Dark To Be ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Practical. On The Eastern Building, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Some Are Shattered. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:» The Other One Is Publicly Open. There'S »:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»/ A Museum, With Wax Figures Of My Great /»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,:»/% Great Great Grandfather, Or Something. %/»:,,,,,,
,,,,,:»/%% Various Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out On %%/»:,,,,,
,,,,:»/%%& Tables, With Explaining Texts. A Lot Of &%%/»:,,,,
,,,:»/%%&@ Glass Of Varying Thickness. @&%%/»:,,,
,,:»/%%&@# #@&%%/»:,,
,:»/%%&@## %% ##@&%%/»:,
,,:»/%%&@# %% %% #@&%%/»:,,
,,,:»/%%&@ »»»»»»» % % »»»»»»» @&%%/»:,,,
,,,,:»/%%& %% %% &%%/»:,,,,
,,,,,:»/%% %% %%/»:,,,,,
,,,,,,:»/% %/»:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»/ I Quickly Sneak Out, And Climb Into The /»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:» Other Building. The Contrast Is »:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: Overwhelming. It Must Have Stood :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Derelict For A Long Time, Windows ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Broken, Metallic Trash And Pools Of ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Dark Glass All Over The Floor. No ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Electric Lights, But I Can See By The ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Light That Shines In Wherever The Dark ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: Windows Are Missing A Pane. :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:» »:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»/ However, The Greatest Difference Is The /»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,:»/% Higher Floors: This Building Has None. %/»:,,,,,,
,,,,,:»/%% It Is One Massive Hall, Stretching Away %%/»:,,,,,
,,,,:»/%%& Infinitely Above Me. Somewhere Up There &%%/»:,,,,
,,,:»/%%&@ Is Some Great Iron Latticework, From @&%%/»:,,,
,,:»/%%&@# Where Chains Are Suspended, And Parts #@&%%/»:,,
,:»/%%&@## Of Machinery Has Been Falling Down. ##@&%%/»:,
,,:»/%%&@# #@&%%/»:,,
,,,:»/%%&@ There Is, In The Middle Of The Great @&%%/»:,,,
,,,,:»/%%& Hall, A Thin Spiral Staircase That &%%/»:,,,,
,,,,,:»/%% Leads Up There. I Sneak Over There, And %%/»:,,,,,
,,,,,,:»/% Take A Few Reluctant Steps. After Just %/»:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»/ A Revolution, I Notice That For Each /»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:» Step The Building Starts To Glow, The »:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: Bricks Turning A Dark Red, And Then :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Orange, All The Piled Up Debree Being ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Lit From Behind. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, I Stop Ready To Run Down And Out, But ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, There'S Someone Else On The Staircase ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: With Me Now, Pressed Close. He'S :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:» Looking Like Me, Short Hair And Thin »:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»/ Arms, But With Ears From Some Animal, /»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,:»/% And More Disturbingly, Completely Made %/»:,,,,,,
,,,,,:»/%% Of Dark Liquid glass. %%/»:,,,,,
,,,,:»/%%& &%%/»:,,,,
,,,:»/%%&@ %% @&%%/»:,,,
,,:»/%%&@# %% %% #@&%%/»:,,
,:»/%%&@## »»»»»»» % % »»»»»»» ##@&%%/»:,
,,:»/%%&@# %% %% #@&%%/»:,,
,,,:»/%%&@ %% @&%%/»:,,,
,,,,:»/%%& &%%/»:,,,,
,,,,,:»/%% My Fear Holds Me In Place While He %%/»:,,,,,
,,,,,,:»/% Starts Operating Levers And Dials Set %/»:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»/ In The Center Of The Staircase. Slowly, /»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:» It Starts Spinning, Circling Upwards. »:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: It'S An Elevator! I Start To Run :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Downwards, But Now The Liquid Boy ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Creature Grabs Hold Of Me. I Try To ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Shake Him Off, But He'S Too Strong, And ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Pulls Me Back Up Beside Him. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: This Time, I Turn Angry Instead. What :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:» The Hell? Who Is This Guy, Acting Like »:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»/ This? I Reach Out My Free Arm And Slam /»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,:»/% A Random Lever. Some Metal Bar Is %/»:,,,,,,
,,,,,:»/%% Suddenly Released Between Us, Hitting %%/»:,,,,,
,,,,:»/%%& Him On The Arm, Forcing My Release. I &%%/»:,,,,
,,,:»/%%&@ Shove Him Off Of Me, And He Falls Into @&%%/»:,,,
,,:»/%%&@# The Levers, Messing Them Up. #@&%%/»:,,
,:»/%%&@## Immediately, A Thin Rusty Chainmail ##@&%%/»:,
,,:»/%%&@# Curtain Is Dropped Around Me. But The #@&%%/»:,,
,,,:»/%%&@ Elevator Also Speeds Up Significantly. @&%%/»:,,,
,,,,:»/%%& &%%/»:,,,,
,,,,,:»/%% The Walls Are Flaring Now, Yellow, %%/»:,,,,,
,,,,,,:»/% White, Almost Blue. I Close My Eyes And %/»:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»/ Curl Into A Ball. But Then, The Glass /»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:» Boy Screams, A Piercing Sound That »:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: Forces My Eyes Back Open. I Watch As He :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Becomes Too Liquid, His Body Pooling ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Down In His Now Massive Tail, And The ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Tip Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In A Glass ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Drop That Falls Toward The Factory ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, Floor. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:» He'S Crawling On The Stairs, Unable To »:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»/ Keep His Body Upright. Can'T Reach The /»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,:»/% Levers, Claws At My Chainmail Cage, %/»:,,,,,,
,,,,,:»/%% While His Body Is Turning Into Dark %%/»:,,,,,
,,,,:»/%%& Pearls. Finally, He'S Lost Too Much Of &%%/»:,,,,
,,,:»/%%&@ Himself And The Scream Is Cut Short. @&%%/»:,,,
,,:»/%%&@# The Last Of Him Rains Down. #@&%%/»:,,
,:»/%%&@## ##@&%%/»:,
,,:»/%%&@# I Still Can'T Reach The Levers From #@&%%/»:,,
,,,:»/%%&@ Within My Cage. Looking Up, I Try To @&%%/»:,,,
,,,,:»/%%& Make Out The Ceiling, But It'S All A &%%/»:,,,,
,,,,,:»/%% Whirling Sea Of Colours. Below Me Glows %%/»:,,,,,
,,,,,,:»/% The Hellfire Of The Factory Walls, But %/»:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»/ Very Faint. I Sit Down, Curl Back Up, /»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:» Become Still. »:,,,,,,,,
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,,,,,,,,,, %% ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, %% %% ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, »»»»»»» % % »»»»»»» ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, %% %% ,,,,,,,,,,
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,,,,,,,,,: :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:» A Large Clunk Shakes My Entire Body, »:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»/ And Snaps Me Back Into Reality. I'M /»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,:»/% Back At The Factory Floor, But The %/»:,,,,,,
,,,,,:»/%% Stairs Are Still Moving Slightly, %%/»:,,,,,
,,,,:»/%%& Clicking In Place, Carrying Me The Last &%%/»:,,,,
,,,:»/%%&@ Few Centimeters. I Came From Below, @&%%/»:,,,
,,:»/%%&@# Somehow. The Chainmail Is Retracted, #@&%%/»:,,
,:»/%%&@## And I Slowly Dismount The Stairs. ##@&%%/»:,
,,:»/%%&@# #@&%%/»:,,
,,,:»/%%&@ Shaking And Crying, I Make My Way Over @&%%/»:,,,
,,,,:»/%%& The Factory Floor, Wading Through Dark &%%/»:,,,,
,,,,,:»/%% Glass Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And %%/»:,,,,,
,,,,,,:»/% I See There'S Something Faint Inside %/»:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»/ Them. Embryos? Are These Eggs? /»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:» »:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: I Shudder, And Climb Back Out. :,,,,,,,,,
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